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Bill Morrison
01-18-2008, 10:26 AM
What’s the best way to finish the edges of ¼ - 1/8 3 –ply wood? I’ve got a 30W Accuris that came with a 1.5 lens and it’s great for the detailed stuff but I want to get a lens that will cut through ¼ wood and acrylic and keeps it’s nose out of the smoke. I’m a hobbyist but do sell some things every so often. Rather than trying to explain to each person what I do I make something and give it away. Like a small acrylic sign at an espresso stand, a lot of people see it and they can get an idea of what I do. Lot of people see it. I use 1/8” acrylic , make a saw cut in a base, router the base so it won’t be so plain looking and engrave contact info on it. They can see the work on the acrylic and the wood. Same with where I get my material. The lady set the sign on her monitor, lots of customers see it.
What’s the best way to baffle the exhaust on the laser? I thought about building a small box with some regular house insulation in it and just stick the exhaust line it it. Is there someplace I could buy something or would my idea work.

Angus Hines
01-18-2008, 10:40 AM
I would suggest the 2.5 inch lens for cutting anything.

As for baffling an exhaust I'm not sure why you would want too??? So now I'm baffled....LOL

Joe Pelonio
01-18-2008, 10:56 AM
Cutting would I use air assist at about 35 PSI and also have a strong enough exhaust fan to keep the smoke away from the 2" lens. Still have to clean it and the mirrors more often than with other materials. You do have your exhaust vented outside?

As for the edges of the ply, I normally will put a coat of clear on it before engraving, then another coat after that I also spray on the edges. If you don't want the brown/black edges then sand lightly first.

Bill Morrison
01-18-2008, 11:49 AM
I did up the PSI and that helps a lot. The exhaust does vent outside. To me the exhaust sounds real loud. I get up EARLY and would like to spend time working with the laser but I don't want the neighbors complaining. That's why I wanted to baffle it. The state rented the house next to me for work release parolees and a couple of them look like they are homesick. LOL

Joe Pelonio
01-18-2008, 12:01 PM
I did up the PSI and that helps a lot. The exhaust does vent outside. To me the exhaust sounds real loud. I get up EARLY and would like to spend time working with the laser but I don't want the neighbors complaining. That's why I wanted to baffle it. The state rented the house next to me for work release parolees and a couple of them look like they are homesick. LOL
Ouch! Don't want to make them mad.

My exhaust from the outside just makes a slight whoosh sound. Like a clothes dryer vent but a little louder. You have to stand under it to hear it at all, the neighbors wouldn't be able to. I often start running at 5am.

Is your motor/fan inside or out? There are things that help, like on mine, I have rubber between the mounting brackets and wall to dampen the vibration.

Michael Kowalczyk
01-18-2008, 3:51 PM
Hey Bill,
Click on this link and it will explain where to look for what I think the edge of 3mm(1/8") Russian Birch Ply should look like.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=746482#poststop

I already posted the pictures in a prior post and this BBS software is so smart it remembered so we don't have duplicates taking up hard drive space.

Let me know if you have any questions about the ply.

Frank Corker
01-18-2008, 4:22 PM
When I built my cabin to do my work from, I decided that I didn't want the extractor fan sitting inside the building or the small compressor. So I made a small breeze block building outside and housed everything in there. The roof was made of 3/4" ply and roofing felt to cover and give 100% protection from the (endless) rain.

There is a small pipe at the bottom, visible in the photos, carries the electrics and the compressor feed and the upper pipe carries the main air extraction hose. Inside of course the aluminium consertina pipe goes into the back of the laser and it's not visible.

Turning the laser on in the cabin, you cannot hear it from outside. The normal noises that lasers make when they are running from the inside are all that can be heard. If I turn on either the compressor or the extractor on when I'm inside the cabin I can't hear them. (I often forget the things are on!) You can only hear the initial suction rush as the air gets sucked out.

Now when you are standing outside you can only hear the air being pushed out of the vent. It sounds like a central heating boiler and is hardly detectable. The compressor just cannot be heard at all!

The initial hole in the concrete housing was quite large so I made a very tight fitting square out of 20mm thick acrylic, with has a round hole in it too small for the large hose to pass through . I sealed everywhere around with mastic and placed a vent cover on the outside. Then I painted it green. Looks like it's been there for years, you can't hear anything and the smells coming out are minimal.

Anyway, here are the photos and don't any of you knock the brickwork, I didn't lay it, but it's level at the top and the bottom. :D

James Jaragosky
01-18-2008, 7:28 PM
When I built my cabin to do my work from, I decided that I didn't want the extractor fan sitting inside the building or the small compressor. So I made a small breeze block building outside and housed everything in there. The roof was made of 3/4" ply and roofing felt to cover and give 100% protection from the (endless) rain.

There is a small pipe at the bottom, visible in the photos, carries the electrics and the compressor feed and the upper pipe carries the main air extraction hose. Inside of course the aluminium consertina pipe goes into the back of the laser and it's not visible.

Turning the laser on in the cabin, you cannot hear it from outside. The normal noises that lasers make when they are running from the inside are all that can be heard. If I turn on either the compressor or the extractor on when I'm inside the cabin I can't hear them. (I often forget the things are on!) You can only hear the initial suction rush as the air gets sucked out.

Now when you are standing outside you can only hear the air being pushed out of the vent. It sounds like a central heating boiler and is hardly detectable. The compressor just cannot be heard at all!

The initial hole in the concrete housing was quite large so I made a very tight fitting square out of 20mm thick acrylic, with has a round hole in it too small for the large hose to pass through . I sealed everywhere around with mastic and placed a vent cover on the outside. Then I painted it green. Looks like it's been there for years, you can't hear anything and the smells coming out are minimal.

Anyway, here are the photos and don't any of you knock the brickwork, I didn't lay it, but it's level at the top and the bottom. :D

Now why go through all that work and expense, when I can see a perfectly good window to toss a brick through, then run your lines through the hole made with the brick and seal with duct tape.
Good old American know how ftw.:D

Frank Corker
01-18-2008, 8:33 PM
Hellooooo toughened glass !!!

James Jaragosky
01-18-2008, 9:40 PM
Hellooooo toughened glass !!!
Maybe it's not tough glass, Maybe you just got cheap bricks.
If you would like I can send you one from this side of the pond, and you could compare.:)
Try them on your Neighbors windows first, I am sure they will not mind if you tell them your doing a test in the name of science.;)

AL Ursich
01-19-2008, 10:07 PM
I had envisioned my Laser Shop having the capabilities of setting up a total of 8 Lasers in short notice with my Laser Buddy. A Pharmaceutical Company Contract with short notice large quantity jobs and a few portable Lasers. The deal fell through before it began. Never finished the original design of 8 stations just 2. In the spring the other pipes will come down.

Last Summer I walked to the back of the Shop and something caught my eye above my head as I opened the back storage and blower room door. A Rat Snake on top of my pipes. I got my camera and took some pictures. The Snake was after the little Birds.

AL

I had screened the openings to the room just for this reason.... Mice, Squirrels, Snakes.....

AL Ursich
01-19-2008, 10:15 PM
I thwarted the Snakes ambush and my closeness caused the snake to look for a avenue of escape... The following pictures are the snake defying gravity..... He eventually fell and made his exit under the shop. Never saw him again....

His Cousins sure do get protective of the Brown Egg Supply..... One for me, one for you...... Go ahead and grab that egg.... I dare you....

AL

Sorry about the Hijack... Blame it on Cabin Fever....

Frank Corker
01-20-2008, 7:33 AM
Crumbs Al, where do you live in the Congo????? You think you had it bad, look what I found around my cabin the other day. The one in the last photo was a 'biggun'. Scary or what?